Forum: Women deserve freedom of choice in the workplace, too

Re. Aug. 14 Forum letter by Alan Gillett, “Religion must be free from government meddling”:

Mr. Gillett makes some strong accusations.

Indeed, the owners of Hobby Lobby have the religious and political right to practice or not practice any form of contraception they choose. The Religious Freedom of Restoration Act notwithstanding, logic demands that any and all employees of Hobby Lobby likewise have the right to choose whether to practice or not practice any or all forms of contraception. They, too, possess the freedom to do as their consciences dictate. No one else, including employers offering health care benefits, is responsible for their choices.

The unfounded leap made by many is that if a company paying medical benefits to its (female) employees includes contraception in its coverage, that company or its representatives somehow take on the burden of ethical responsibility for what their workers do with it. This is nonsense. Are they therefore responsible for workers gambling away their salaries?

When such companies deny workers this coverage, they deny them the freedom to act according to their own consciences. Let’s face it, this is a woman’s issue if women are denied their freedom of choice.

The female worker is no less worthy of her religious right to choose or reject contraception than companies are to choose or reject theirs. I fear Mr. Gillett only chooses to defend the religious liberty of those who reject contraception, failing to see that some women feel having many children is also a religious issue, perhaps morally irresponsible.

May I suggest that those of Mr. Gillett’s viewpoint kindly consider the other side of religious freedom? The Founding Fathers were not faced with contraception when dealing with religious freedom. Perhaps those employers who insist in denying women their rights deserve to be fined those millions of dollars Mr. Gillet so deplores!